


you can sleep in a coffin, but the past ain't through with you

by NargleAdvocate



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, First War with Voldemort, Fluff, Humor as a coping mechanism, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Marauders' Era, Mystery, Swearing, Vampires, Violence, vampire Sirius
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-01
Updated: 2017-12-01
Packaged: 2019-02-09 07:38:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,086
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12883182
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NargleAdvocate/pseuds/NargleAdvocate
Summary: "You're a vampire now, aren't you? Those are fang marks. You got bit."Sirius Black never expected for his life to turn upside down after a night at a bar, but then, his life has never been quite normal. Who could have done this, and why? And how long can he keep his new condition a secret?





	you can sleep in a coffin, but the past ain't through with you

**Author's Note:**

> This is not quite what I would normally write, but it's a (work in progress) gift for my friend Gee! Updates should be, at minimum, bi-weekly, but there isn't a definite guarantee. I hope you enjoy!

It was a nightclub. Bright lights, grinding up against the person next to you no matter who they were, and (the detail Sirius liked the most) a lack of parental guidance. Sirius liked to think himself somewhat a pro on the dance floor, dancing with both girls with breasts the size of his head and guys with scruffy beards that chaffed the side of his neck. Smirks exchanged between them all, and grips too close to places that should be saved for the privacy of the bedroom. But that's why Sirius liked the place, really, it was the lack of boundries. He'd had so many his entire life. It was good to find a few nights where there were none at all.

So when he found himself pushed up against a wall in the corner of the bar, hidden within the shadows and behind the masses of people, he couldn't find it in himself to care if they were seen. In fact, he was rather on top of the world, he decided, as the man who got him into the situation began to grind against him and nip at his neck.

Until it was no longer small bites, and there was something piercing the skin and sinking beneath it. Sirius' eyes widened at he stood, frozen, still pinned against the wall, his vision going foggy and his head beginning to spin. What- what was happening?

The man removed his face from Sirius' neck, and the distinct feeling of blood slowly trailing down his skin appeared. The man's eyes were gleaming, something disgusting, and the lights of the dance floor reflected off of his teeth. Teeth was a bad word, they were more like fangs. Sirius' breaths grew shallow as he stared, too dizzy to call for help, trapped within that moment. And then the man let him go, and Sirius sunk down to the ground.

The man smirked. "Have fun you whore."

And then he was gone, disappeared as if he had never been there, and Sirius would have been inclined to believe it was a figment of his imagination if there still wasn't blood on his neck. His right hand blindly searched for a wall, and he pulled himself up, his hands shaking. What the fuck just happened? Sirius found the strength to stumble towards a bathroom, ignoring the giggles of those who clearly thought he was too drunk for his own good.

The mirror did nothing to clear his mind, to remind him that it was just a hallucination or that it was just a little too hard of a bit from an asshole. There were two, very clear, puncture holes on the right side of his neck. There was still a steady trickle of blood coming from them both, but Sirius couldn't bring himself to do anything but stare. Fangs. Puncture holes. He shook his head, stepping away from the mirror and pacing across the bathroom. There's no way- vampires weren't in this part of Europe- maybe it was just a coincidence- but there was nothing he could do to justify the holes in his neck. He ran back to the sink and splashed in his face until he couldn't breathe and had to sit down on the floor.

A vampire had bit him. Sirius slammed his fist into a wall before laying his forehead against it. He'd probably be dead within a week, if not transformed into a freakish vampire. He moved his forehead away and slammed his fist against the wall again, with more aggression than the previous time. He was going to fucking kill that bastard. His hand was almost at his wand when he remembered the man- the vampire- had disappeared on the spot. Fuck. Sirius pulled himself off the ground and looked into the mirror again. He let out a mirthless chuckle. At least he fit the image of a vampire.

The door of the bathroom swung open, and Sirius snapped his head towards it, to see two guys pushed up against each other, completely ignorant of the other man in the bathroom. Sirius growled, watching them disappear, before rolling his eyes and disapperating.

He stumbled forward when he landed, still not quite used to the tube-like feeling. It made him feel a bit sick, if he was honest, but he wasn't about to admit that to anyone. Glancing at his surroundings, Sirius relaxed a little when he realized no one was around. It was late at night of course, and someone would have to be an idiot to be out there so late at night, but Sirius was never sure. He strolled forward and tried to take a couple of deep breaths as he stared at the dark trees that surrounded his presence. The crunch of the leaves beneath his feet was calming, in a way. Sirius chuckled. He was turning into Remus.

After a few minutes of wandering through the forest, deep in thought, Sirius halted, reaching a hand carefully up to his neck. The holes were relatively small, but he could still feel them, that and the blood sticking to him fingers. He moved his hand away and wiped it against his pants leg, squeezing his eyes closed, trying to ignore the squeezing feeling in his chest. He was completely and utterly fucked.

Without another thought, Sirius transformed into his animagus and ran off into the forest, resolving to one night running from this problem. He at least deserved that.

* * *

Sneaking into his best mate's house at five in the morning was not the easiest task, nor was it the smartest one. Sure, he'd done it before, but normally it was a little bit earlier, when everyone was guaranteed to be asleep. And he was a bit more light on his feet, instead of bumping his hip on the dining room table and knocking over the centrepiece due to his lightheadedness. Wincing, Sirius slowly made his way towards the kitchen. He was absolutely ravished from running around for the past two hours. He dug around in the cupboard, frowning when he realized nothing sounded appetizing. He was about to open the fridge door when the lights flipped on.

In the doorway stood James. He had his arms crossed over his chest and an eyebrow raised. "So, where'd you fuck off to this time?"

Sometimes, Sirius forgot how much James had matured since the previous year. He was still the old James, pranks and all, but he was more like an adult than any of the marauders had ever been, including Remus. He looked it to. There was scruff on his chin, and his shoulders were wide, and he looked exactly what the star quidditch player should look like. Sirius was somewhere between jealous and proud. He hadn't decided yet. "Bar?"

"Again?"

"Yeah. Probably won't go back again though."

"Why?" James moved away from the doorway and approached Sirius.

"Well." Sirius shrugged, turning to the right a bit. "Just some shady characters showed up, that's all."

"Shady characters?" James stopped and dropped his arms. "Are you okay?"

Sirius scowled. "I'm fine. I can take care of myself, you know."

"I know." There was a silence for a few minutes, before James' eyes widened and he stepped closer. "What's up with your neck?"

"Nothing!" Sirius turned even farther, backing away a little.

James was faster. He grabbed Sirius' wrist and pulled the other man towards him, inspecting his neck. "Those... Look like bites."

Sirius slapped a hand over his neck. "It's nothing."

They both stood there, staring at each other, the silence hanging over them almost tangible. Sirius wanted to look away, wanted to hide, but that would be admitting defeat. There was dry blood beneath his fingers, and the weight off it all hit him again. He was a dumbass, how was he-

"You're a vampire, aren't you? Those are fang marks. You got bit."

Sirius' eyes widened before he looked away, all breath leaving him. Merlin, he was going to lose his best friend because of this.

"How?"

"Well, I was in the club. Normal night. I hook up with a guy. Kinda sleazy now that I think about it." Sirius awkwardly chuckled. "And, well, he had me pinned against the wall, and then he-"

Silence overtook them again. Sirius swallowed, squeezing his eyes shut and gently scratching at the back of his neck. This was the part James threw him out of the house, or something like that. Maybe he would even get to keep his things, the little he had. But James, ever the surprise, tilted his head to the side and said, "Well, you need to be more careful next time mate, especially in this climate."

Sirius turned towards James and blinked in shock. And then blinked again. "You- you aren't kicking me out?"

"Why would I?" James raised an eyebrow. "I already have one friends who isn't exactly a normal wizard, what's wrong with two? I will admit, it's a bit weird though. Vampires. They're supposed to be bloodthirsty, right?"

Sirius bit his lip. "I think so? I wasn't paying much attention during that defense lesson. I think we were watching Snivellus' hair turn multicolored too intensely."

"I remember that! Ah, that was a tame prank." James chuckled. "His face, though."

"I know right?" Sirius smiled. All he could feel was relief. Was this what Remus felt like when they had accepted his condition with easy strides?

"So, back on track," James began, "We probably need more information about what the bloody hell vampires are like."

"Merlin, studying? I didn't sign up for this."

"It's what you get for hooking up with a sleazy guy at a club."

"Still not very fair," Sirius grumbled. He watched as James headed for the kitchen door, before saying, "Oh, uh, mate? Well, thanks for- um, thanks-"

James grinned. "I'm really the greatest, aren't I?"

"Oh shove off." Sirius grinned as well, and followed James out of the kitchen and through the hallways of the Potter Mansion.

* * *

"We're studying during break, Prongs, do you realize how much of a sin that is? I feel like Remus!"

"Stop standing on the couch and start reading."

Sirius groaned and flopped down onto the couch, placing a hand on his forehead in a display of drama. "I'm going to die."

"You are not!" A pillow was tossed towards Sirius. "And anyways, I finally got something, so quit your whining, jeez."

"What is it?" Sirius asked, hopping up off the couch and towards James, who was sitting in a chair that seemed to swallow him whole. It was one of those old chairs that sunk down in the middle and left you looking like a small child who was in a place you shouldn't be. Sirius leaned on the side arm rest and at the book James was reading. He had to lean in to read the tiny text. James was doing the same.

"Well, firstly, you really aren't going to die, vampire bites only kill muggles. Though, the downside to that is you are going to be a vampire in... A week? The transformation takes a week... Should have started by now, actually."

Sirius frowned. "What does being a vampire involve?"

"A thirst for blood. That's going to be awkward. Um- you'll probably get paler than you already are, and you can't really go outside in the daylight. But I think the blood is the biggest problem here."

"I don't... I don't need to have blood to survive, right?"

"No, it doesn't say you do, but..." James ran a hand through his hair, making it stick up. "The urge will be overwhelming."

"That's fine." Sirius waved his hand in a dismissing motion. "I've been repressing the overwhelming urge to punch my mother for years, I can't imagine this will be much worse."

James looked unconvinced. "Are you sure?"

"Don't worry James." Sirius gave him a small smile. "It'll be fine."

Nodding absently, James flipped to the next page, before asking, "What are we gonna tell Wormtail and Moony? I was thinking-"

"We aren't telling them."

James turned, wide-eyed, towards Sirius. "What do you mean, we aren't telling them?"

"We aren't telling them. I don't want them to know James. It's... I don't know... I just don't want them to know."

James sighed. "If they find out I had nothing to do this."

"Of course." Sirius nodded.

James continued reading, and Sirius wandered over to the bookshelf they pulled the previous books from, running a finger over the spines. Studying was never his strong suit, and if he was honest, he was completely lost in the massive Potter library. He had always done well in his subjects without much studying, and Remus always got his books for him, if he needed them. Sirius softly smiled at the thought of Remus. Merlin, he couldn't wait to see that softy again.

"Hey, Sirius? Over the week you're-"

A flash of pain flew up Sirius' spine, and he hunched over on himself, clenching his teeth together. Pain continued to spread from his back, to his neck, and then to his head, spreading all the way across his skull until it was almost blinding. He gripped at his hair and yanked, trying not to cry out at the pounding on his skull. It was all so much, and there was tears pricking at his eyes, but he couldn't feel much else, it was just all so overwhelming. Until it stopped, suddenly, as if it had never been there, the only thing lingering was a slight pain in the back of his head, and the world around him came rushing back. James' hand was on his back, he was on the floor of the library, and a mysterious (or not that mysterious- Sirius had an idea what it could be) pain had just left him gasping for air.

Sirius sat up, making James move his hand away. James looked somewhere between shocked and scared. "The book said you were going to have some pain, but I thought it meant, like, headaches or something-."

An attempt at a comforting grin. "Well, I do have a slight headache."

James crawled away and grabbed the book he had been reading before coming back towards Sirius. "It says something like that is going to happen pretty frequently for the next week."

Sirius' head hit the bookshelf. "Merlin..."

* * *

Very quickly Sirius found out that James had not been exaggerating in the slightest. At the drop of a pin, there would be debilitating pain spreading throughout his body. He'd gotten quite good at gritting his teeth and dealing with it. The worst incident was when it had happened in front of James' mum, and he could hardly keep himself sitting up straight.

Though, he supposed, that wasn't the worst part of it all. The worst was getting sunburns when he walked outside. The worst was finding nearly no foods appetizing. The worst was-

"Fuck!"

Outside of the bathroom door, there was a distinct 'thump!' sound, before the knocking on the door started. "Padfoot?"

Sirius shook his head, even though James couldn't see him through the door. "I'm..."

"Can I come in?"

Sirius sighed, before turning around and opening the bathroom door to a slightly panicked James. "What happened?"

"Look." Sirius gestured to the mirror behind him. They both approached it, and only one appeared in the reflection. James raised his eyebrows, glancing between the mirror and Sirius.

"Merlin."

"Exactly." Sirius scowled. "I can't believe this. I didn't sign up for this!"

"Well, it could be worse..."

"What could be worse than this?" Sirius gestured towards the mirror.

"You could be off sucking the blood out of someone."

"Right. I'm supposed to be a bloodthirsty monster. And I can't even see into a damn mirror. I have fangs growing in!" Sirius kicked the side of the toilet. "I'm going to go insane."

"Padfoot..."

"And there's nothing we can fucking do about it! I'm going to be stuck with this shit for the rest of my life, just because some _asshole_ -"

"Sirius, you're crying."

Sirius reached a hand towards his cheek and wiped away the wetness. He hunched in on himself and turned away from James. He pretended to chuckle. "Wow, I'm pathetic, crying over not being able to see through a mirror."

"I think it shows you're still human." James shrugged when Sirius turned back around with a raised eyebrow. "I just mean, a bloodthirsty vampire wouldn't cry over his vanity."

"Any rational human being wouldn't cry over their vanity."

"Which means you're still you."

Sirius smiled slightly. "True, I'm as conceited as always."

They both laughed, before James continued, "We really need to figure out how to glamor you before school starts, though. Sorry, but the fangs are going to stick out like a sore thumb."

"I have fangs?" Sirius moved a hand towards his mouth.

"It is near the end of the week. What, did you think they would just pop out on the last day?"

"Aayee?" Sirius responded, fingers still fiddling with the new teeth in his mouth. They slightly long than his canines, and definitely more sharp, as when Sirius pulled his hand away, there was a small pinprick of blood on his finger. Staring at it, Sirius tilted his head slightly. He had never really considered blood before, but-

There were fingers in front of his face. "Sirius!"

"Yeah? What's up?" Sirius blinked a few times before looking up at James.

James let out an exasperated sigh. In that moment, Sirius realized there was a lot more Lily had in common with James than she thought. "Glamors?"

"Right." Sirius paused. "Honestly, I don't know much about glamors."

"Merlin..." James groaned as he shook his head. "Guess I'll doing them for you. Suppose you wouldn't be able to see he finished product anyways."

Pulling out his wand, James aimed it at Sirius' face before making a slow flicking motion. A feeling similar to a trickle of water rolled across his face before suddenly stopping. Sirius raised an eyebrow. "So?"

"The fangs are gone, and just for a nice touch, you look less tired."

"Thanks."

James grinned. "Now you gotta pay me back by playing chess tonight."

"Whoa what! You always win, that's not a fair competition." Sirius groaned.

"Exactly, it's fun to win."

Sirius rolled his eyes before wrapping an arm around James' shoulders. "Fine. But only because you're such a good friend."

"Remember that when I beat your arse."

"I'm not even going to deny that."


End file.
